Rwanda’s health gains spectacular but…

Since establishing a national health plan in 1999, we have seen great improvement in Rwanda’s healthcare system. The country has insured about 91 per cent of its population with healthcare – a greater percentage than very many countries, including the United States. Since introducing health insurance, Rwanda has seen lower childhood mortality rates. Life expectancy at birth in the country has increased from 48 to 58 in the last 10 years, and deaths of children under 5 have dropped by half in the last five years. Malaria deaths have also dropped by roughly two-thirds. According to Dr. Fidel Ngabo, the coordinator of Maternal and Child Health in the Ministry of Health, about 70 per cent of Rwandan women now give birth under the supervision of a professional medical practitioner. Yet, in 2000, women who gave birth from proper health facilities were not more than 10 per cent. Rwanda has three health insurance plans, one for government employees, another for the military, and the third for the remaining population. In a nutshell, Rwanda has built a healthcare system that is all-inclusive. According to analysts, the country’s health gains in the last decade are among the most spectacular the world has seen in the last 50 years. However, even though we have made great progress in the health sector, we shouldn’t lose focus for our work is not yet done. Let’s go all in.